Priest avoids jail time in embezzlement case
ANCHORAGE (AP) -- A federal judge Friday sentenced an Orthodox Church of America priest who embezzled about $70,000 in Sitka to a halfway house and home confinement instead of jail.

Floods damaged Kenai campgrounds and rivers
ANCHORAGE (AP) State parks officials in the lower Kenai Peninsula are hoping to come up with enough money to fully repair the damage done by two torrential floods last fall.

New claims brought against Juneau priest
JUNEAU (AP) More accusations of inappropriate behavior have been made against a Juneau Catholic priest accused last fall of sexual abuse, the Juneau diocese said.

Man admits making counterfeit checks
ANCHORAGE (AP) -- An Anchorage man has pleaded guilty in federal court stealing more than $50,000 by making counterfeit checks and passing them at local banks.

New claims brought against Juneau priest
JUNEAU (AP) More accusations of inappropriate behavior have been made against a Juneau Catholic priest accused last fall of sexual abuse, the Juneau diocese said.

UAF ousts fire chief
FAIRBANKS (AP) -- The University of Alaska Fairbanks has fired its safety services director, who oversees the campus fire and police departments.

Governor eyes pull tab funds
ANCHORAGE (AP) Gov. Frank Murkowski has a new proposal in which he wants to take money from pull-tab games and use it for the state's matching funds for nonprofits and to pay for increased state employee health insurance costs.

Student arrested for carrying gun to school
FAIRBANKS (AP) -- A 17-year-old student was arrested Friday at West Valley High School after administrators found a loaded handgun in his backpack. The youth was not identified.

NPR-A, Foothills reserves called huge
ANCHORAGE (AP) -- Anadarko Petroleum Corp. now believes the hydrocarbon potential of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska and Foothills regions of the North Slope is as great as the huge Prudhoe Bay and Kuparuk fields combined -- in the neighborhood of 17 billion barrels of crude.

Railroad considers buying Seward coal terminal
ANCHORAGE (AP) -- A proposed deal for the Alaska Railroad to buy coal-loading facilities at Seward could re-ignite sales of the fuel to South Korea but railroad officials say they need more time to determine whether the arrangement is fair.

Royals run season record to 5-0
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Runelvys Hernandez allowed two hits in seven innings as the Kansas City Royals beat the Cleveland Indians 2-1 Saturday and became the first major league team to start 5-0 after a 100-loss season.

White Sox overpower Detroit
CHICAGO The Detroit Tigers became the first team in 40 years to start 0-6 in consecutive seasons, giving up nine runs in the eighth inning of a 10-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Sunday.

Griffey injured in Reds defeat
CINCINNATI -- Ken Griffey Jr. dislocated his right shoulder while trying to make a diving catch Saturday in the Cincinnati Reds' 9-7 loss to the Chicago Cubs.

Caseys mighty bat wins for Reds
CINCINNATI Sean Casey's tiebreaking solo homer off Mark Guthrie (0-1) in the eighth inning sent the Cincinnati Reds to a 5-4 victory Sunday over the Chicago Cubs, completing a discouraging first homestand in their new ballpark.

NOW PLAYING: Basic
John Travolta is a good actor. I can say that without any hesitation or even the slightest snicker in my voice. He's proved his versatility and skill in a variety of roles from Saturday Night Fever to Pulp Fiction. He i

United States needs to take stand against international bullies
Have you ever been on the school grounds and watched a bully push a small kid around? Did you feel a rage within that prompted you go to the defense of the victim or did you feel fear that the bully would spot you and torture you as well? Did you turn around quickly so that you wouldn't be noticed?

State must eliminate predators to ensure survival of game animals
The timing of John Toppenberg's April Fools Day opinion article, entitled "Myths Drive Wolf Decision," couldn't have been more appropriate, since he attempts to convince this community that his "Myth" article is not only true, but that he actually knows what he's talking about. That in itself is a fairy tale of epic proportions.

Seafood jobs drop, others pick up
Alaska's weakening salmon industry saw still more jobs disappear in the Gulf Coast Region during 2002, continuing a trend that has seen a 38-percent decline in seafood industry employment there over the past eight years, according to the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

Thelma L. Isaacs
Longtime Alaska resident Thelma L. Isaacs died Wednesday, April 2, 2003, at Providence Hospital in Anchorage with her family at her side. She was 89.

Kathleen E. Karluk
Kenai resident Kathleen E. Karluk died Sunday, April 6, 2003, at the Central Peninsula General Hospital in Soldotna. She was 62.

Cecilia Ann Northcutt
Cecilia Ann Northcutt of Killeen Texas, died Sunday, March 30, 2003, after a long battle with cancer. She was 70.

Reporter's fight to quit smoking brings out inner demons
Disclaimer: The Peninsula Clarion and the writer of this column in no way endorse smoking. It is a dirty, nasty, deadly habit and anyone who currently smokes should quit immediately. Anyone under 25 who does not smoke should not even consider touching a "cancer stick." (To all those nonsmokers over 25, congratulations, you're safe, because let's face it, no one starts smoking as an adult.) All that said, I miss my cigarettes!

China should have responded to SARS more forcefully
One of the few things that authoritarian societies, such as China, ought to be able to do better than democratic ones apart from making the trains run on time is to control the spread of infectious diseases.

Runners support each other on road to Boston Marathon
Four women -- all older than 40 -- walk into a bar. The first one orders a beer and a glass of water. The second and third come trotting in one behind the other after a brisk jog and each asks for water only, before picking up the bar pretzels.

Photo feature: On the prowl
A coyote prances along the bluffs behind the Kenai Senior Citizens Center recently to the delight of several seniors unaccustomed to sightings of the normally less conspicuous animal so close to town.

Peninsula People
Members of the KPHA Pee Wee B team
Kenai student named to deans list
Soldotna soldier gains special training
Panther cheerleaders compete nationally

Suns stay in running for playoff spot
PHOENIX -- Bo Outlaw had season highs of 19 points and 15 rebounds to help the Phoenix Suns improve their playoff chances with a 111-94 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday.

Technology makes golf a brand new ball game
AUGUSTA, Ga. Hootie Johnson walked out to Amen Corner during the 2001 Masters in time to see Phil Mickelson play his second shot into the 455-yard 11th hole, one of the toughest at Augusta National.